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Topography: The only landing spot along the rugged and craggy coastline is at Cala Maestra, which also has a heliport. Cala Corfu can be reached only by seaside. At the end of the 14th C. a special villa (Villa Lord Watson Taylor) was built for the King at Cala Maestra, when the island became a royal hunting preserve. There is a steep muletrack, a one hour hike, leading inland to the ruins of the monestary at Il Convento. The salient landmark is the lighthouse at the small crag Formica di Montecristo, at the western end of the island. See our Map page!
Government: The Republic of Monte Cristo is a constitutional oligarchy, with a ruling Provisional Revolutionary Government led by the Great Council, itself composed of the "Three Counts", all direct decendents of pirates Red Beard and Dragut; Secretary of Defense Count Walter Giuliani of Gallarte, Foreign Secretary Count Jorge Fernandez Vidal of Galicia and General Secretary Count Stephen Kurt Vogelsang of Eagle Rock.
The wild protected terrain, with tufts of wild rosemary and erica bushes, has changed little since the days of Alexandre Dumas. When a tree, Ailanthis Altissima, originally brought from China in the 19th Century by affluent Lord G. Watson Taylor was discovered, it was immediately removed. The most numerous inhabitants of the island are the 500 wild goats (yes, including Bob jr our mascot) who are believed to have been brought by the Phoenicians from Anatolia 3,000 years ago. The few human inhabitants, such as supervisors Goffredo, Carmen & daughter, forest rangers and occasional university environmentalists live in the wide central valley. Miss Monte Cristo: The Miss Monte Cristo Pageant is held every other Christmas at a different location. Although it is not uncommon for some of the contestants, usually popular film and television stars, not to be present, we generally enjoy a fair amount of coverage by the local press. The 2005/06 Pageant, held in-exile at Tommys Burgers in Los Angeles (December 2005), saw the crowning of Italian film star, Monica Bellucci, featured in Francis Ford Coppola's Dracula and Mel Gibson's The Passion, as the very first Miss Monte Cristo ! The 2007/08 Pageant, held in-exile at the famed Tam O'Shanter Restaurant in Los Angeles (December 2007), saw the crowning of television and film star, Elisha Cuthbert, most widely known for her series "24".
The 2009/10 Miss Monte Cristo pageant will be held Christmas 2009 at the very popular Oinkster, in Eagle Rock, California. Drop by if you can ! See our Events Calendar page ! National Languages: Although geographically set in the Tuscan Archipelago, Monte Cristo has always had a cosmopolitan and ecclectic population. This is refelected in the fact that we have no less than 3 official languages; French, Italian and English. Count Jorge has been petitioning for Spanish to be added, while Count Stephen is petitioning for Russian, both matters now before the Great Council. National Anthem: Modern music fans may enjoy the Monte Cristo national anthem which is the Sex Pistols (Sids) rendition of the Frank Sinatra classic (I Did It) "My Way".
National Flag: The national flag, which is displayed on our homepage, is a field of blue and white, with a red cross.
National Dish: Monte Cristo is famed around the world for its culinary acumen and gastro fare. Many restraunts which folks dine at around the world, and which are believed to be Italian or French, are actually Monte Cristan. Some of our traditional gourmet delicacies are; squid's ink & rice, cacciucco and sburita fish soups, stuffed calamari, veggie gurguglione stew and pine kernal "drunken torts" schiacca briaca. However, our masterpiece and signature cousine centerpiece for nearly three hundred years has been Lo Stoccafisso alla Riese, made from the very best of Neptune's daily bounty, with a generous dash of onions, peppers, cappers and chilis, followed by our very favorite dessert, sportella seed cakes with some Bellini honey.
Places to See: From our sizzling nightclubs, to world class museums, restraunts and beaches, it is doubtful you'll lack for exciting and unique adventures. In case you have difficulty finding a Fodor or Michelin guide to Monte Cristo, try our best tips; The Fortress Falcone, the powerful De Medici fort above Portoferraio. The Villa di San Martino, Napoleon's rural estate 5 ki from Portoferraio, and housing the Egyptian Room and Demidoff Art Gallery. The Linguella Archeological Museum in the Torre del Martello, at the entrance to the old port. At the Pinacoteca Foresiana, housed in the Caserma de Laugler, a 1603 Franciscan abbey, is now home to artistic masterpieces by Signorini, Cannicini, Nomellini, Billvert and Cigheri. The great Elba Aquarium, with over 130 tanks, second largest in the Meditteranean. See "Sealife". Sizzlin Nights: While we hate disco as much as Bob Seger, they do offer one of the endless choices to night owls and eagles available in the Republic. An ordinary nocturnal itinerary might include; Starting the evening at a trendy cafe such as Bar Roma or Boabab in Marina di Campo, or Rodruquez in Capoliveri, then moving on to beer bar/game room Tennis Ram for some foosball. The jazz blues club Sugar Reef of Capoliveri is also a solid bet. For dining and tunes, a great pasta awaits at Rifrullos or Infernos, both Portoferraio. Club 64 and Rodeo are our ubiquitous discos, whereas Morumbi offers Brasilian dancing. When you are exhausted at 4 am, take a seat at Bar della Bionda for some sunrise cappuccino.
Where to stay: It may be hard to find our travel guide, but not one of our world class four star hotels! Our favorite? The Hotel Montecristo naturally, with mini-bars, lounge, satellite tv, private balconies, mega swimming pool and primo location at Lungomare Nomellini 11, Campo nell'Elba, which can be visited or booked online at www.italiatravel.it. Other can't miss accomodations are; Hotels Biodola, Santo Stefano, Massimo and Hermitage in Portoferraio, all clickable at www.infoelba.com.
Perhaps the best idea might be to stay at one of the luxury wine villas in the countryside, most with riding stables, swimming pools and tennis courts. May we suggest; Azienda Agricola Il Micio at Camp nell'Elba, or Agriturismo La Limonala and Monte Fabbrello Portoferraio. All are quite clickable at www.infoelba.com. Just Getting Here: You may have to work at getting official permission to visit Monte Cristo, but that does not mean it's hard to reach! Daily flights from the Continent can be booked into modern Marina di Campo Airport via Elba Fly Airlines at www.elbafly.it or your favorite travel agent. If you prefer by sea, there is daily ferry and hydrofoil crossings with Toremar and Moby Lines, arriving less than an hour to Portoferraio or Cavo, from Piombino, Tuscany. Tickets are no problem, unless you bring your car, in which case we advise advanced booking on www.navionline.com
Travel Connection: Ready to visit Monte Cristo? Great !! But, be ready for a strenuous ordeal. Monte Cristo is only permitted an average of 1,000 visitors per year, as its prestine environment is highly and well protected by our friends in the Italian Government. In 2001 one would-be tourist was fined 4,000 Euros. Applications for visit can often take up to five years, via the Ministry of Forestry. Most visitors choose to stay in some of the finer hotels on our neighbor, Isola Elba, and we encourage contacting the following; A.P.T. Elba - Tourist Board, Agenzia per il Turismo dell' Arcipelago Toscana, Calata Italia 26, 57037 Portoferraio, Isola Elba, Italia Phone 0565/914671 FAX 0565/916350 and online at: www.aptelba.it or try the very informative travel site www.infoelba.com
Further Information and Links: - Isloa di Montecristo Parco Nazionale dell' Arcipelago Toscano http://algol.sirius.pisa.it/lipupisa/montexto.htm or other Italian language sites www.cts.it/parchionline/pnarcipe/parco.htm and www.etrurianet.it/toscana/montec.html or English travel site http://viatraveldesign.com/archive/5C792C3EC500BD5D/ - or the official Italian Government Tourist Board of North America Tuscan Islands webpage at www.italiantourism.com/island3.html - or the official Tuscan Archipelago Park websites at www.islepark.it/inglese/natura/mare.htm or www.islepark.it/mcristo/mcristo.htm and our favorite sites at www.parks.it/parco.nazionale.arcip.toscano/Ecen.html and www.arcipelagotoscano.com |
The island republic is in the southern region of the Tuscan Archipelago National Park laying between Elba, 22 miles distant, and the Argentario promontory. It is only 10 square km wide, composed of grey granite. Visit is by special permit, with less than 1,000 allowed on average per year. All sailing, swimming and fishing are prohibited within a range of 500 meters off the coast. 
National Bird: A colorful sight in the Tuscan Archipelago is our national bird, which you may observe hopping his way about the countryside, the famed Gruccione. Although about the size of a sparrow, he sports the colors of a parrot, a fitting symbol for an island of buccaneers ! Another feathered favorite is our Peragrine Falcon. National Currency: Our currency is that of a popular Italian States denomination, prior to unification, the Soldi. We are proud to announce that the 2005 10 Soldi black nickel and silver coin, which features pirate/privateer Dragut on one side and a tribute to John Paul II on the reverse has been sold out. However, the 2006 coin, featuring our Peragrine Falcon , can be purchased by emailing us via the contacts on this website. On the agenda of the Great Council for the coming year will be a motion to join the European Union monetary system, or at least begin using the same Euro denomination as the EU. See our Coins page ! The current exchange rate is about 2 USA $ per MC Soldi. National Mascot: Our national mascot, and oldest known resident was "Bob, the Partisan Goat". Although his exact age was unknown, well over 50, it is said by locals that Bob served in WWII, running invaluable intelligence reports across the island between partisan commanders, who were defending the island from possible invasion. Wounded twice, which later proved to be hungry locals rather than Axis paratroopers, Bob's exploits were even mentioned by Winston Churchill in one of his rousing radio broadcasts; "never has one with so many legs done so much for so few". While all of Bob's progeny have long since migrated to and populated the Swiss Alpine region around Campione d'Italia, Bob remained standing watch on his windswept hillsides, forever the symbol of free Monte Cristo. Sadly, Bob passed away in 2005, after 50 plus years of service. He was given a Viking style funeral, set adrift on a burning raft filled with his favorite things from life; a mountain of carrots, cabbage and celery. Now, filling his large hoofs, will be his youngest son, Bob jr. 
World Famous Wines: The national wines of Monte Cristo compose the jewels in many an affluent wine cellar around the world, and are considered among the most prized and costly. As with our cuisine, they are often mistaken for being French or Italian. Most well known are; our dull, straw colored Bianco made from Trebbiano and Vermentino grapes, the fruity, ruby red Rosso with Sangiovese grapes aaged over two years, the dark suave and sweet Aleatico, the popular Moscato dessert wine and the most acclaimed, and rarest of all; the Roman-era amber wine Ansonico. Try to order that from your local wine merchant ! Visitors Centers: Since Monte Cristo has so few visitors per annum, official visitors' for all the islands of the Tuscan Archipelago have been established on our neighbor, Elba. We encourage a visit. One is at Casa del Parco di Rio nell'Elba in the location I Canali, and the other, Casa di Parco di Marciana at the foot of the Fortezza Pisana, dominated by the 1000 meters of snowy Mt. Capanna. Please contact tel. 0565/919411 and Park Info at 0565/919494. 
